Tata Steel Faces Early Blast Furnace Shutdown Amid Strikes, EU Leaders Endorse von der Leyen for Second Term

Tata Steel has threatened to shut down its Port Talbot blast furnaces early if Unite union workers proceed with their strike. EU leaders have endorsed Ursula von der Leyen for a second term as European Commission president. The number of UK top-rate taxpayers is set to surpass 1 million for the first time.

The following are the top stories in the Financial Times. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. Headlines

- Tata Steel threatens to shut Port Talbot blast furnaces early over strikes - EU leaders endorse second term for Ursula von der Leyen as bloc's top official

- Number of UK top rate taxpayers set to surpass 1 mln for the first time - New EY chief rules out reviving plan to split Big Four firm in two

Overview - Tata Steel, Britain's biggest steel producer, has threatened to shut down its two blast furnaces in south Wales from as early as next week unless workers from the Unite union call off a strike.

- EU leaders have endorsed a second five-year term for Ursula von der Leyen as European Commission president, although she failed to win the backing of Italy, the bloc's third-largest member state. - The number of people in the UK paying the top rate of income tax is set to pass 1 million for the first time this year, as a prolonged freeze in thresholds and wage inflation boosts the state's coffers.

- EY's new global chief executive Janet Truncale has ruled out an immediate revival of the Big Four accounting firm's plan to split in two, unveiling an alternative strategy that involves slimming down its central bureaucracy. (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)